Poetry. Literary Nonfiction. Memoir. Introduction by Fanny Howe. THE PUBLIC GARDENS: POEMS AND HISTORY is a memoir of place (Boston, New York, Oakland and San Francisco) and of the commons (gardens, streets, subways, marriage and family, libraries), a documentary (with lyrics) of a life lived in, around, and for books.

"THE PUBLIC GARDENS is a brilliant, wonderful book, a sort of a wild institution, intense and readable. Linda Norton looks at the world like a dog who likes to tear apart couches--repressed but not for long. Though full of shame, this book is shameless. A life is freely divulged as are the multitude of homeopathic bits from the author's reading list. The overall experience of moving through THE PUBLIC GARDENS's shuttling prose and poetry is quietly breathtaking. I have felt and learned much from this book Her 'Gardens' are both organized and entirely disorderly--anything and anyone from any point in history might saunter through, and that's the meaning of public isn't it? I find myself loving this writer's mind, light touch, and generous heart and I, reader, didn't want to go when it was done. My bowl is out. More "--Eileen Myles